Membrane-dependent Bystander Effect Contributes to Amplification of the Response to Alpha-particle Irradiation in Targeted and Nontargeted Cells

Purpose: Free radicals are believed to play an active role in the bystander response. This study investigated their origin as well as their temporal and spatial impacts in the bystander effect.

Methods And Materials: We employed a precise alpha-particle microbeam to target a small fraction of subconfluent osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1). gammaH2AX-53BP1 foci, oxidative metabolism changes, and micronuclei induction in targeted and bystander cells were assessed.

Results: Cellular membranes and mitochondria were identified as two distinct reactive oxygen species producers. The global oxidative stress observed after irradiation was significantly attenuated after cells were treated with filipin, evidence for the primal role of membrane in the bystander effect. To determine the membrane's impact at a cellular level, micronuclei yield was measured when various fractions of the cell population were individually targeted while the dose per cell remained constant. Induction of micronuclei increased in bystander cells as well as in targeted cells and was attenuated by filipin treatment, demonstrating a role for bystander signals between irradiated cells in an autocrine/paracrine manner.

Conclusions: A complex interaction of direct irradiation and bystander signals leads to a membrane-dependent amplification of cell responses that could influence therapeutic outcomes in tissues exposed to low doses or to environmental exposure.